01/04/2026
Swayman will start in net for Boston on Saturday in Vancouver
VANCOUVER –– Fraser Minten grew up along the Vancouver Seawall, playing ball hockey on the cement court under the bridge a couple of hundred yards from Rogers Arena.
On Saturday, the 21-year-old forward will skate at the Canucks’ home rink for the first time in his NHL career. Minten – whose childhood apartment is a short walk away from where the puck will drop at 10 p.m ET – will have between 50 and 100 people in attendance to watch him in the Black & Gold, he said.
“Just felt like a normal skate this morning, but probably will feel a little different come game time tonight,” Minten said. “[My friends and family] are very excited. They’ve been talking about it for a few days now – well, a few months. Since I’ve been here, they’ve been all over talking about it, so I’m sure they’re all really excited.”
Minten is in his first full season with the Bruins after getting traded from Toronto to Boston in March. He is centering the third line between Marat Khusnutdinov and David Pastrnak, and has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) through 41 games.
“He’s already a very mature kid. Very professional,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “Feels like he has already been around for at least 10 years. Takes care of his body already. He’s already a leader, I would say, in his own way. I am very impressed with him.”
Saturday is the second of two regular-season meetings between the teams. Boston fell 5-4 in a shootout to the Canucks at TD Garden on Dec. 20. The Bruins are looking to build some momentum off their 6-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers as their five-game road trip continues in Vancouver.
“It’s a young group now against the trade. I think they just go out there and work hard. You could see it even yesterday – they don’t quit,” Sturm said of the Canucks. “We’ve just got to make sure we focus on our game. We only won one game so far, so we want to grab the next one tonight with a good, solid Bruins effort.”
Wait, There’s More
Jeremy Swayman will start in net for Boston. The goaltender last played on Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers, making 34 saves in the win. Swayman has a 2.84 goals against average and a .904 save percentage through 28 games.
Elias Lindholm posted two points (one goal, one assist) on Wednesday in Edmonton; it was the forward’s seventh multi-point game of the year. Lindholm remains on the first line with Alex Steeves and Morgan Geekie. He also played 26 games for the Canucks in the 2023-24 season before signing in Boston.
Charlie McAvoy has three points in his last five games, including an assist on Wednesday. He is skating on the first pair with Nikita Zadorov, and averaging 23:59 of ice time per night. The 28-year-old defenseman has a total of 20 points (one goal, 19 assists) through 29 games.
Opposing View
The Canucks are playing in the second game of a back-to-back; they fell 4-3 to the Seattle Kraken in a shootout on Friday. Kiefer Sherwood, former Bruin Jake DeBrusk and Linus Karlsson scored in the loss. Goaltender Thatcher Demko made 25 saves on 28 shots.
Elias Pettersson leads Vancouver with 24 points (nine goals, 15 assists) through 32 games. The 27-year-old forward has been centering the first line between DeBrusk and Karlsson. Sherwood has the most goals for the Canucks with 17; he is on the third line with Drew O’Connor and David Kampf.
Tom Willander enters Saturday’s matchup on a three-game point streak. The 20-year-old defenseman is in his first season with the Canucks after getting picked 11th overall by the organization in the 2023 NHL Draft; Willander spent two seasons at Boston University before turning pro. He is on the third pair with Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) through 30 games.
